Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has released a new solo single, "High Plains Drifter" ahead of his upcoming EP Portals, due out April 23 via Blackened Recordings.
The track is a cinematic instrumental that takes considerable cues from film scores, particularly the themes of Westerns. Which makes sense, considering both its title — shared with a revisionist Western film starring (and directed by) Clint Eastwood — and the fact that Metallica walks out on stage to Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold," from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly soundtrack.
In a press release Hammett stated that the piece "was not meant to be specifically music for that film," but once it was written, he "immediately thought it conveyed the same sentiment as the film, so the piece was christened accordingly."
"The music for 'High Plains Drifter' initially came from a Flamenco piece I had written," the musician explained. "It was a two-and-a-half-minute piece and I really liked it, but it was one of those riffs that would be hard to integrate into Metallica. I knew I wanted to do something with it."
This is the first time an active member of Metallica has released solo material.
Listen to "High Plains Drifter" below.
The metal titans were recently announced on the bill for this year's Lollapalooza, and their lyrics are set to be examined in a forthcoming philosophy book.
The track is a cinematic instrumental that takes considerable cues from film scores, particularly the themes of Westerns. Which makes sense, considering both its title — shared with a revisionist Western film starring (and directed by) Clint Eastwood — and the fact that Metallica walks out on stage to Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold," from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly soundtrack.
In a press release Hammett stated that the piece "was not meant to be specifically music for that film," but once it was written, he "immediately thought it conveyed the same sentiment as the film, so the piece was christened accordingly."
"The music for 'High Plains Drifter' initially came from a Flamenco piece I had written," the musician explained. "It was a two-and-a-half-minute piece and I really liked it, but it was one of those riffs that would be hard to integrate into Metallica. I knew I wanted to do something with it."
This is the first time an active member of Metallica has released solo material.
Listen to "High Plains Drifter" below.
The metal titans were recently announced on the bill for this year's Lollapalooza, and their lyrics are set to be examined in a forthcoming philosophy book.
